Space shuttle Endeavour wows visitors on first day of exhibit

The first official visitors to the space shuttle Endeavour's cavernous new home at the California Science Center walked inside Tuesday morning two-by-two and holding hands.

They were students at Alexander Science Center School, an elementary school sharing a campus with the museum. Nearly every child looked up in awe at the enormous orbiter, finally in place after many months of preparation.

"When I saw it in the sky on top of an airplane it looked really small," said Jesse Torres, a second-grader. "But now that I see it up close, I see how big it is."

With a ceremony led by science educator Bill Nye that was attended by more than 400 people, including about 60 students, the Science Center officially opened its space shuttle Endeavour exhibit and kicked off nearly a week of special festivities for the public.

Through Sunday, the museum is playing host to "SpaceFest," a program allowing museum visitors to interact with current and former astronauts and learn about past and future NASA missions.

But most of the attention Tuesday was focused on the shuttle that recently trudged along Los Angeles surface streets leading to the Science Center - along with its new perch about 20 feet above the museum floor.

Students who had only heard about the Endeavour's external tiles - the ones that protected the shuttle from severe heat upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere - were finally able to see them in person.

"They've been looking forward to this since last year," said second-grade teacher Pat Lemle, whose class recently learned the shuttle's skin consists of roughly 25,000 tiles. "It's no longer a secondary source because they are here and experiencing it."

The Tuesday event was the culmination of months of logistical hurdles. The 20-year-old shuttle, which flew 25 missions for NASA, landed in Los Angeles in late September.

Three weeks later, with thousands watching, a special transporter carried the shuttle along 12 miles of streets of Los Angeles and Inglewood to the museum in Exposition Park. Because of its 78-foot wingspan, some trees along the route had to be taken down, road signs were temporarily removed and metal plates placed on the ground to ensure that the pavement could hold the weight.

The shuttle actually will move one more time - the center has plans to construct a more permanent exhibit in the forthcoming Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center - but Tuesday morning's event had an air of finality.

Gov. Jerry Brown, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and a group of NASA astronauts - many of them slapping students' hands as they entered the exhibit - gave the event a special feel.

Both Brown and Villaraigosa urged the students to explore the sciences and noted that much of the space industry is headquartered in Southern California.

"There are incredible mysteries that are yet to be unlocked," Brown said. "Space is not just about sending vehicles millions of miles up into space. It's also about the technology and the science that flows out of that challenge."

Most of the students got into the space spirit. At one point during the program, Nye asked: "How many of you want to fly in space some day?

Almost all of the kids raised their hands and many cheered.

"I would like to be an astronaut like the people who were in the shuttle," fifth-grader Joshua Deleon said.

Information: Endeavour access is free, but visitors must obtain tickets that allow them to see the shuttle at a certain time. The center charges a $2 fee per ticket to reserve online (at www.californiasciencecenter.org) and a $3 fee per ticket fee to reserve by phone at 213-744-2019.

There is no charge to get tickets at the box office, but advance reservations are recommended. Parking costs $10 at the structure located at 39th and Figueroa streets.